Nuts to gallstones

Just as too-high cholesterol levels can lead to blood vessel-clogging sludge, they may also create painful gallbladder-plugging stones. (Gallstones block the release of bile from your gallbladder; the backup creates the ache.) The healthy mono- and polyunsaturated tats in nuts that help control blood cholesterol may also help prevent gallstones and the need for gallbladder surgery, Harvard Medical School researchers say. They found that among 81,000 women followed over 20 years, 7,800 had had their gallbladders removed because of stones. Women who ate 5 or more ounces of peanuts, peanut butter, or other nuts per week during those years were 25% less likely to have undergone gallbladder surgery than women who rarely or never ate nuts.